Chewing and then playing gum is one of the most fun things a kid likes to do and the perfect way to annoy his/her parents. Unless this kid grows up to be an imaginative artist who creates exceptional sculptures out of chewed gum.
Maurizio Savini is that artist and he indeed creates unique gum sculptures with the help of his two assistants who unwrap each stick of gum and melt it into layers of usable material. The artist later installs the layers of gum around plaster molds, forming and giving stability to his creations. In his long career Savini has even managed to make a gum sculpture weighing 14 kg. Working with the “material” wasn’t so easy at first, as many of the pieces he was making would often fall apart. The artist now uses formaldehyde and anti-biotics to preserve the gum and not allow sugar to destroy the works.
Using from animals to chandeliers, Savini takes the shape of everyday objects, plays with their real life use and adds elements that change their function, while many of his works are often politically or socially-charged.
Melissa Faithful for Art-Sheep
